When will E-on want money?

SandA

Hello

I posted not long back after advise after I realised I was using more gas and electricity then my direct debit covered.

I am currently -£212 on my gas and electric, and my direct debit is only £80 per month. I am using on average £160 gas and electricity per month.

I followed the advise given, however I have tested us to the brink this week yet I have still managed to use a cubic metre more per day then last month, I am so confused because I have changed to short showers, only have the heating on when necessary, which is around 2 hours per day. I just don't understand how its higher then last month when we were more niave and I ran a hot bath for an hour per night etc.

I can only assume that the boiler is working harder with the snow, so although I have reduced how often I have the heating on, its using more gas then usual due to the snow, is this a correct assumption?

As a very low income family I am worrying about e-on demanding the excess I owe them. I am currently on a tariff that ends in August 2014. Will they not chase for it until then? I am hoping that my gas use will plummet come summer and it will pay of some of the outstanding debt, but I still expect to owe them around £250 at that point. Will they demand it in a number of weeks, or could I carry on on one of there tariffs and just pay more per month to pay it off? I have just changed my direct debit to £86, but at the moment we are still suffering from babies first Christmas, where we regrettably spent alot of money we do not have so LO had a good first Christmas. We are both in our overdrafts atm.

Does anyone know when I will have to pay it?

Thanks

Wywth

SandA wrote: »

Hello

I posted not long back after advise after I realised I was using more gas and electricity then my direct debit covered.

I am currently -£212 on my gas and electric, and my direct debit is only £80 per month. I am using on average £160 gas and electricity per month.

I followed the advise given, however I have tested us to the brink this week yet I have still managed to use a cubic metre more per day then last month, I am so confused because I have changed to short showers, only have the heating on when necessary, which is around 2 hours per day. I just don't understand how its higher then last month when we were more niave and I ran a hot bath for an hour per night etc.

I can only assume that the boiler is working harder with the snow, so although I have reduced how often I have the heating on, its using more gas then usual due to the snow, is this a correct assumption?

As a very low income family I am worrying about e-on demanding the excess I owe them. I am currently on a tariff that ends in August 2014. Will they not chase for it until then? I am hoping that my gas use will plummet come summer and it will pay of some of the outstanding debt, but I still expect to owe them around £250 at that point. Will they demand it in a number of weeks, or could I carry on on one of there tariffs and just pay more per month to pay it off? I have just changed my direct debit to £86, but at the moment we are still suffering from babies first Christmas, where we regrettably spent alot of money we do not have so LO had a good first Christmas. We are both in our overdrafts atm.

Does anyone know when I will have to pay it?

Thanks

You won't be asked to pay back the whole amount in one go unless you switch supplier.

Eon will review your monthly DD payment annually for appropriateness
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/utilities/2012/02/eon-to-stop-energy-direct-debit-hikes
Any shortfall will be recovered over several months.

Or you could contact them to ask for a review earlier if you think it's incorrect.

... as the Eon rep advised you in your previous post :cool:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=60142587&postcount=22

victor2

SandA wrote: »

I followed the advise given, however I have tested us to the brink this week yet I have still managed to use a cubic metre more per day then last month, I am so confused because I have changed to short showers, only have the heating on when necessary, which is around 2 hours per day. I just don't understand how its higher then last month when we were more niave and I ran a hot bath for an hour per night etc.

I can only assume that the boiler is working harder with the snow, so although I have reduced how often I have the heating on, its using more gas then usual due to the snow, is this a correct assumption?

It has indeed been much colder than normal over the past few weeks. My own daily gas usage has been higher than at any point in the preceding 12 months. Gas usage will indeed plummet when (if?) warmer weather comes, and the nature of monthly direct debit payments is that it should even the cost out over the year, so you will underpay in the winter and overpay in the summer.

Reducing the hours your gas heating is on will reduce your usage, but perhaps not by as much as you think. For example, running it for 2 hours instead of 3, is unlikely to reduce your gas usage by 1/3. That's because the first hour or two the heating is warming up a cold house will use more gas per hour than in subsequent hours when it is just maintaining a level already achieved.

amiehall

It's so cold outside! Hard to be saving at the moment. The steps you're taking with the showers etc. will really pay off through the summer months. Do you know what time of year your review is?

As mentioned above, they won't normally demand a lump sum. When you have your review and provide a reading, they should adjust your DD to cover the increased usage and pay off the debt. Obviously this will be a large increase.

If you can afford to increase the payment now, just call them, they will increase it for you to make it less of a shock increase later. If you can't, leave them to it and keep trying with your energy saving efforts.

SandA

Thank you for all your replies. I have emailed e-on asking advise.

May I ask though, when I do have the heating on, in the early morning for OH getting up from work, usually heating freom 14 - 15.5 degrees since we have it off during the night, up to 18.5 degrees. Same goes for when I get up, I usually put the heating on from around 16 degrees, to heat up to 18.5 degrees.

Would it be cheaper to just keep it on at 18 degrees?

Thanks

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi SandA

We now review payment arrangements annually and at the half way point.

In between, we'll advise what we believe the monthly payments need to be but won't make any changes unless you ask for them. This info will be on the relevant bills.

At the annual and half way reviews, we won't ask for the outstanding balance to be paid immediately. Instead, we'll spread this balance over the next few months and include it with the ongoing usage.

Before we do this, we'll write to you with details of the proposal.

As I said in the post Wywth links to, talk to us if you're struggling with this. We'll be happy to spread the outstanding balance over a more manageable period.

It is, though, important your ongoing usage is covered otherwise the outstanding balance will continue to grow.

You're doing great in starting to cut back on usage and looking for more ways to do this. Have you had time to talk to our Energy Efficiency team yet? I'm sure they'll be able to give you some good pointers.

Hope this helps. Give me a shout if you need any more info.

Malc

SandA

I have emailed e-on today, I don't ring as I either don't get through or people don't really help me. I find email more effective with E-on.

You say that the outstanding balance is paid over a few months, can this be negotiated? We are really strapped so would struggle to pay what could be £250-£300 over a few months, that could mean an extra £100 on top of our £86 which would mean that I would physically have to keep my baby in snow suits at home to keep the heating off. It would be much easier to pay a little extra over 6-9 months.

Thank you

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi SandA

Email's fine.

We'll be happy to discuss the number of months the outstanding balance can be spread. Provided, there's no other issues with the account and given the circumstances you describe, spreading the balance over 6 to 9 months should be ok.

You say earlier, though, you're currently using £160 per month. This will need to be covered first before looking at an additional amount to clear the balance.

Hope this helps. Drop an email to the address in my Profile if you prefer. I'll be happy to take a look (although I'll be out of the office until after Easter from close of play today).

Malc

victor2

SandA wrote: »

May I ask though, when I do have the heating on, in the early morning for OH getting up from work, usually heating freom 14 - 15.5 degrees since we have it off during the night, up to 18.5 degrees. Same goes for when I get up, I usually put the heating on from around 16 degrees, to heat up to 18.5 degrees.

Would it be cheaper to just keep it on at 18 degrees?

There are many, many, threads on this forum about this topic, with people tending to fall firmly in one camp or the other. So you'll get strong arguments for either approach.

It is not difficult or particularly expensive to try it for yourself though. On different days (ideally in the same weather conditions) over a period of time, try each way and record your gas usage. No two houses are the same when it comes to heat retention, but you'll then get figures you can compare for your circumstances.

macman

No it would not be cheaper to 'leave it on'. The longer it's on, the more it will cost you, plain and simple. It might be more comfortable, certainly-a different argument altogether.
What you need to do is alter the timer in order to allow it to start up earlier to allow for the longer warm up time in cold weather. If your programmer has an optimiser mode it will do this for you.

Fire_Fox

SandA wrote: »

Thank you for all your replies. I have emailed e-on asking advise.

May I ask though, when I do have the heating on, in the early morning for OH getting up from work, usually heating freom 14 - 15.5 degrees since we have it off during the night, up to 18.5 degrees. Same goes for when I get up, I usually put the heating on from around 16 degrees, to heat up to 18.5 degrees.

Would it be cheaper to just keep it on at 18 degrees?

Thanks

Recommended ambient temperature for babies is 16C-20C so you can safely keep it cooler than you are, some countries routinely put their babies out in snowy weather to sleep. Have you measured the temperature in each room or just setting the hall thermostat to 18.5C? If so you may find the rooms are warmer than you think, which is costing money.

It't not cheaper to keep the heating on constant, on that basis it would be cheaper to keep the heating on all year round just in case, the people who are low users simply use heating and hot water less than those who are higher users (fewer hours, lower temps, better insulated home etc).